It boils down to demand & supply, not about “Anthony Loke effect” to curb high festive air fares

 

THERE is almost always a mad rush to balik kampung during festive seasons. This mass exodus is more pronounced during Raya with the vast majority looking to celebrate the end of Ramadhan in their hometowns.

But such travel comes at a cost as the high demand for bus, train and plane tickets cause prices to spike.

This was highlighted in a post on X by Ben Stealer (@LOLsuprima) that during festive season, a one-way ticket to Terengganu could cost RM800 upwards which would normally be the price of three-to-four-hour flights. 

Citing that this was the equivalent of a two-way trip to destinations such as Bali, Hanoi and Chengdu, the poster queried why Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook had not stepped in to curb prices.

“Why no Anthony Loke effect?” he asked.

Editor’s note: The “Anthony Loke effect” refers to a reputation for proactive, hands-on and reform-oriented leadership in the Transport Ministry, characterised by high-profile, surprise inspections and rapid, public, and decisive action against inefficiencies and corruption. 

This management style which often involves digitalising transport services and tackling “tonto” syndicates has created a persona focused on performance and accountability in his role.

However, this attempt to make it the business of the DAP secretary-general was met with swift retorts. 

One observer chided the poster for his “stupidity” in making last minute travel arrangements and the absurdity of passing the blame to the Transport Minister for his own tardiness.

It was argued that principles of demand and supply determined these prices with even bus tickets also experiencing a hike during peak travel periods. When airlines have promos, best grab it, counselled one frequent flyer.

This was not a matter for government interference, advised one commenter while another simply contended that uch economic realities are beyond the comprehension of the walaun (slang for hardcore PAS supporters).

The poster was also advised to drive to Terengganu himself if he wanted to be cheap about it. “Taste is M40 T20 but budget B20,” sneered this commenter. “Ride a camel,” proffered another disbelieving netizen.

This budget traveller was also admonished for not booking his flight earlier. The tickets may have been slightly cheaper.

However, some commenters were having none of it, reminding this poster that air travel was not public transport. It was also pointed out that this was the reason express buses existed.

Sabah and Sarawakians also took the opportunity to highlight that this was normal procedure for them given they regularly faced high air fares even during non-peak travel season. At least this poster had alternative modes to get to Terengganu.

This is a problem many commuters have faced for many years. To lay it solely at the door of the current Transport Minister seems unfair as it is dictated by economic realities. 

Perhaps, as one commenter suggested, it is better to just spend Raya in an exotic foreign location like Bali instead of heaping blame on the government. – Focus Malaysia